Rochester Veterans news

Thursday

Nov 1, 2012 at 3:15 AM

By EARL ADAMSRochester Veterans’ Council president

ROCHESTER — Greetings, I just got back from the Lilac Mall, where I was working at the Sone of the American Legion 7 ‘Wreaths Across America’ table, with new SAL member, Carmen Poupolo. He met one of our RVC volunteers at the gym, and told him he was retired and would like to do some volunteer work to help vets. He called me and said his father was a vet, so I helped him get the proper paperwork and signed him up in SAL 7.

Since then he has met RVC members and RVC volunteers. He has been to coffee hours and the Rochester Veterans’ Council luncheon last Tuesday at Post 8 in Dover. At the luncheon we had 74 vets and staff served. Getting back to the sale of wreaths at the Lilac Mall, we really could use more volunteers. That way we could man two tables. Last year we placed 350 wreaths at the seven cemeteries in Rochester. These wreaths are $15 each. We will be at the mall from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday, Friday and Saturday, from now through November.

On Oct. 26 we had a Health Fair sponsored by the Rochester Homemakers at Post #7. They had 56 booths, and made a booth available for the RVC. I called the Manchester Veterans’ Center and got all kinds of pamphlets with the latest information on VA benefits. Service Link at the Merchants Plaza gave me pamphlets with information on senior benefits, and Post #7 gave me pamphlets with Legion information. The Legion information actually enabled me to sign up one, possibly two new members. I would like to thank Mrs. Williams of Milton. I met her at the Health Fair and she told me she had a manual wheelchair that would accommodate a 300 lb. man. Carmen and I are picking it up Monday morning.

Friday, Oct. 26 at 7:30 a.m., Al Benton Jon Anderson RVC Aide-de-Camp and I met with the committee at the Rochester Middle School that is once again putting on a program to honor vets. This is the fourth year of the program. The show on Nov. 9 is free, and is an event you don’t want to miss. There is limited parking at the Middle School, so shuttles will be running from Kohl’s parking lot starting at 11 a.m. and will bring you back to the Kohl’s parking lot after the show. Local veterans interested in participating in the celebration, are urged to sign up by calling Sue Gill at (603) 332-4090 at the Rochester Middle. As I was leaving the school at 8:15 a.m., I met three boys in the hallway. They came up to me, shook my hand, and thanked me for my service. They noticed I was wearing my Air Force Veteran’s hat, my RVC jacket, and my fatigues. I felt real proud that these teachers have trained these students so well. If you see a vet with their vet hat on, take a minute and shake their hand and thank them for their service. You really don’t know how good it makes them feel.